The spelling of the phrase "were the air" can be explained through International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription. "Were" is pronounced as /wɜːr/, with a stressed "er" sound. The "th" in "the" is voiced, indicated by the symbol /ð/. Lastly, "air" is pronounced as /ɛər/ with an unstressed "e" sound and a stressed "air" sound. The combination of these sounds creates the phrase "were the air", which can be spelled accordingly.